


Lost in the Fog: Closer to the Goal?

by Ginny305



Series: Lost in the Fog [4]
Category: CSI: NY, Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: story_arc, Dimension Travel, F/M, M/M, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M, What-If, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 19:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/116054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginny305/pseuds/Ginny305
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Don lands on another alternate world and meets some familiar faces before finally meeting himself</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost in the Fog: Closer to the Goal?

Title: Lost in the Fog: Closer to the Goal?  
Author: Ginny  
Fandom: CSI:NY  
Disclaimer: No one is mine. I borrowed current Rangers (and since they're real, they obviously don't belong time me) to go with this NY AU.  
Pairings: Overall, MDD, but just Don in this one. References to Stella/Mac, Mac/Lindsay and Don/Don/Lundqvist  
Warnings: AU, some RPS elements  
Rating: FRT  
Beta: Kathie  
Challenge: Story_Arc Prompt: Watch  
Summary: Don lands on another alternate world and meets some familiar faces before finally meeting himself  
Author's Notes: The next standalone chapter in this ten story arc. It is flocked though. For Kathie *hugs tight* For more than I can say. For poking at this and not letting me forget it. And because you deserve fic. For Dee, for the above and for Mer. *hugs you three* Many thanks.

~*~*~

Don opened his eyes and watched the Fog dissipate to reveal the newest world he'd landed on. He looked around, buildings crowded together, people hurrying past him on the sidewalk and, off in the in the distance, the Empire State Building.

"It's about time you showed up."

Don jumped and shoved the Upsalong into his pocket. "Adam," he greeted.

"Come on, Don," he said, taking Don's arm and leading him into the crowd. "Stan's been waiting for you to show up for a day now."

Don followed, having gotten used to being intercepted quickly on worlds that knew about the Fog and how it worked. Adam led him into a building and Don found himself surrounded by technology. It made the new CSI lab look ancient.

"Stan's office is this way," Adam said, gesturing down the hall. He knocked on a door before pushing it open. "Chief Gerrard, he finally arrived," he announced, leading Don into the office.

Gerrard stood from his seat behind his desk, staring at Don for a few seconds. "Don Flack," he said finally.

"That's me," Don confirmed before offering a wry smile. "I guess this means my counterpart isn't dead here?"

Adam laughed. "Nope. How do you think I recognized you so fast?"

"Am I a cop?"

"Goalie," he answered. "You're the hometown hero and the main goalie for the Rangers."

"I am?" Don asked, delighted.

"Yep. Between you and Lundqvist as your back-up we have the best tandem in the NHL," Adam grinned.

Gerrard rolled his eyes. "Enough, Adam," he ordered and waved a hand at the seat in front of Don. "Sit."

"Yes sir," Don answered automatically. He glanced at the awards and plaques lining the walls. Whatever Gerrard's job was, he was good at it.

"How many worlds have you been between?" Gerrard asked sympathetically.

Don stared at the man for a brief second, not used to Gerrard being anything else than a man focused on his job, if a bit too political.

"This is the tenth world," he answered immediately. "You're the seventh that knows about the Fog and has found me almost immediately."

"Your world doesn't know about it," Gerrard said.

"No," Don confirmed with a weak smile. "How did you know?"

"You're a random traveler. It's highly unlikely that someone from a world that knows about how the Fog works would be traveling the way you do."

"I'm not sure anyone will believe me when I get home," he admitted.

"Probably not. It's a difficult thing for most people to grasp," Gerrard agreed. "Our next Fog isn't due in for eight days."

Don blinked in surprise. "You can track it," he realized.

"We know a lot about it," Adam answered for Gerrard. "This isn't something we've hidden. For a time people paid a lot of money to travel between worlds, but we lost a few and the program died out."

"Everyone knows about the Fog?" Don asked in surprise.

"Yes," Gerrard said, impatience coloring his voice slightly. "We welcome visitors after they've gone through the typical inspection."

"Does that mean I can meet my counterpart? Or does that cause a paradox of some sort?" Don asked curiously.

Adam laughed and shook his head. "It's not like you're traveling through time and meeting yourself," he explained. "None of the other worlds have explained this to you yet?"

Don shook his head. "There hasn't been an opportunity."

"You can meet yourself," Gerrard told him. "No paradoxes. It's like meeting a long-lost brother."

"Can I meet him?" Don asked. "After you clear me or do whatever you have to do to make sure I'm safe?" He couldn't quite hide his excitement. He couldn't believe that he was a professional hockey player in this world.

"We've already had you checked," Adam told him. "You were scanned as you came through the building and are clean."

He did a double take and then shrugged. In the weeks of his travels he'd started to get used to a lot. "Then can I meet my double?"

Adam looked over at Gerrard who nodded. "I'm sure Flack'll like the opportunity to meet another one of him again," Gerrard agreed.

"They have a game tonight," Adam spoke up. "I can introduce them after it."

Gerrard raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Go ahead. Don, have a good visit to our world. Adam will be your official guide. If you need anything, just let him."

"I will," Don promised. "Thank you sir."

~*~*~

"How good am I?" Don asked Adam as they watched the teams warm up. He had a hat pulled low over his face and was sitting forward in his chair. The world knew about Fog Travelers, but he didn't see any need to advertise the fact that he was identical to their star goalie.

"Very good," Adam told him. "The best we've had in years. Lundqvist is your backup. He's great too. On any other team he'd be the starter, but he wants to stay here for now."

"Tell me about the – is that Danny?" Don asked, standing up and trying to make out the name on the back of the jersey.

"Danny Messer," Adam confirmed. "Another hometown guy. He started off in San Jose before being traded to us during the summer. He's got great hands and a killer shot and has emerged as a real leader on the ice in recent years. We gave him the A, but he's being pegged as our next captain after Jagr. What does he do in your world?"

"He's a CSI, but it sounds like they're similar other than that," Don said, hesitating slightly before deciding that this Adam really didn't need to know about his relationship with his Danny.

Adam ran through the team. "I think that's everyone."

"If anyone knows our team, it's Adam," a familiar voice said, the door to the suite they were in closing. Don turned in his seat to see Stella standing behind him. "He's one of the biggest hockey fans that I've ever met."

"Stella," he greeted.

"Ah, you know me," she smiled. "Another Don Flack. I don't suppose you play hockey too, do you?"

"I'm more of a basketball guy in person," Don told her. "I rarely miss a Rangers game though. How many Don Flacks have you met?"

"Not including my own, three others," she answered. "You'll be the fourth."

"Did any of them play hockey?"

"The last one did," Stella confirmed. She winked at Adam. "I had a few very happy goalies at that time."

"What are you doing here?" Don asked her.

"I own the team," she laughed. She looked over at Adam. "You couldn't convince Stan to come?"

"You know Stan," Adam shrugged. "He prefers baseball."

"You own the team?" Don interrupted. "This team?"

"Yes," she laughed. "What do you think? Do I have a good one?"

He stared for a second. "You own the Rangers."

"Co-own," she conceded. "Lindsay Monroe is my partner."

"You worked things out?" Adam asked.

Stella's composure slipped for a second before she nodded. "I know how persuasive Mac can be," she said with as casual of a shrug as she could manage.

"Mac? Mac Taylor?" Don asked, trying to figure out what had happened.

"You know him?" Adam asked.

"Head of the CSI lab in my world," Don answered. "The Stella there is his right-hand man." He laughed softly. "Danny and Lindsay are CSIs and Sheldon Hawkes rounds off the team. Adam, you're a lab tech."

He laughed too. "I like science," he shrugged. "Hawkes is the team trainer."

Don nodded, having gotten used to the fact that the ties between the team existed in most worlds in some form or another. "And Mac?"

Stella's gaze darkened. "My soon-to-be ex-husband," she said shortly. "He owns the Islanders."

"Wow," he whispered. "Why ex?" He knew it was nosy, but he had a detective's instincts for wanting all of the information.

Stella sighed, looking out the window onto the ice for a while before answering.

"You don't have to answer."

"It's fine," she told him. "Everyone knows by now. Mac has a very black and white sense of what's right and wrong. And in order for him to be okay with the world, things need to even out. I had an admirer a little over a year ago. Nothing happened between Frankie and I, but he sent me several gifts."

Don clenched his hands into tight fists at the mention of Frankie's name.

"One night he showed up in our apartment," Stella went on. "Mac got home first and nearly killed him. He never believed me when I said there hadn't been an affair. So, in Mac's world, the scales had to be even. He seduced Lindsay and made sure I knew about it."

"Mac had an affair?" Don repeated, having difficulty reconciling the image with the Mac of his world.

"Yes," she said tonelessly, having resigned herself to what had happened. "Anything else you want to know?"

"You've really met more of me?" he asked, changing the subject before jumping up, yelling about the blatant penalty the refs had missed.

"And every single one of you has liked hockey," she grinned.

"It is a great sport," he laughed. He couldn't look away from watching himself play. It was a strange and unexpected sight. And he loved it.

~*~*~

"Great game," Don grinned. They'd beaten the Islanders 1-0 in a shootout. Don had stopped all three shooters and Danny and Shanahan had scored to ensure the win.

"We have a good team," Stella told him. "We're going to be a major contender in the playoffs this year."

"Cool," Don grinned. "Can I meet the team now?"

Adam laughed. "They're always the same."

Stella smiled at him and nodded before turning to Don. "Follow me."

Don jumped up, knowing that he was grinning and eagerly followed after her.

"Lady in the room," Danny called out when they entered. "Wait, it's just Stella."

"Ha ha," she said dryly. "Don't forget who signs your checks Messer." He grinned impishly at her and turned back to talking with Drury about the game. "Flackie," she called out. "I have someone who wants to meet you."

The goalie looked up from where he and Lundqvist were talking with the media and headed over. "What's up?" he asked before looking behind her and grinning. "Another one. Hi Don."

"Hi," Don said back, slightly unnerved to be face to face with himself.

"It's kind of weird, the first time, isn't it?" Flack asked with a sympathetic grin, running his hands through his hair, still wet from the shower.

"How'd you know?"

"You're me," Flack shrugged. "Want to meet the others?"

Don nodded and soon found himself being passed between the team who were as happy as Flack had been to meet another traveler.

"Do you play hockey too?" Danny asked.

"Not really," Don said. "I'm one of the guys that played when I was little and now screams instructions at you from the seats or much couch."

Danny laughed. "One of those fans."

"Guilty," Don grinned. He relaxed and joined in as Drury joined them. As worlds went, he missed his own, but this one wasn't so bad.

~*~*~

"Do you think he'd join us?" Henrik muttered to his Don.

Don shrugged, watching the other version of himself that was standing a few steps away. "I haven't asked. Aren't I enough for you Hankenstein?"

"The other one joined us," Henrik pointed out. He smiled fondly, remembering that night. "Two of you, that was amazing. Ask him to join us."

Don rolled his eyes. "You're not serious."

"I'll ask him," Henrik smirked. "You've never been able to say no to me."

"Henrik," Don warned and groaned when his lover jumped up and walked over to the visiting Don. Hopefully Henrik wouldn't scare him too badly. They'd gotten to know Don well over the last week, but the invitation was still going to be out of the blue for him.

~*~*~

"What do you say to you, you and me?" Henrik asked Don, his voice pitched low enough that no one else heard him.

Don coughed in surprise. "What?" he squeaked.

"A Flack sandwich with a Swede in the middle?"

"You're not serious? You are," Don realized. "Have the others Dons done this?"

"The last one did," Henrik grinned. "What do you say?"

"How do you even know I'm interested in guys?" Don countered.

"Because Don," Henrik said quietly. He leaned closer, whispering in his ear, "I know Don Flack very well."

Don swallowed heavily and blushed. "I'm flattered but I can't."

Henrik gazed at him for a few seconds. "Danny?" he asked. "He's waiting for you in your world."

Don stared at him. "How did you know?"

Henrik smiled and ran a finger over Don's forehead. "Did you know that your forehead wrinkles right there when you're confused? I told you, I know Don Flack. I can see it when you see our Danny. A longing."

Don nodded. "Danny is there," he confirmed, adding 'And Mac' to himself. He wanted to get home to his Mac and Danny so badly it hurt.

Henrik nodded. "I hope you get home to him," he told him sincerely. "But it would have been hot. The last time ...." he trailed off. "It was great," he smirked.

Don laughed, trying picture it. "If I wasn't trying to get home," he said after a moment.

"I understand," Henrik promised.

Don smiled in relief. "I don't suppose there's a tape?" he asked hopefully.

Henrik laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, you're going to have to use your imagination."

Don groaned slightly. Watching Rangers games was never going to be the same.

"Yeah," Henrik sighed. "Your Fog comes in tomorrow?"

"So Stan tells me," Don told him.

"I hope you make it home."

"Me too," Don whispered. He hoped that more than anything.

~*~*~

"You ready Flack?" Gerrard asked Don as they and Adam stood just outside his building.

Don stared at the Upsalong and nodded. "Yeah. I think." He smiled weakly at the man. "Thanks for all of your help. Things make a lot more sense now."

"I was happy to do what I could," Gerrard said. "Your chances of getting home with this fog are about one in even. Not great, but there is a chance."

Don nodded as the Upsalong started to glow. "Maybe I'll be lucky," he whispered. "Thanks again."

"Good luck Don," Gerrard bid and the world disappeared, the next one on it's way.

End TBC


End file.
